South Dakota becoming the 5oth US state to adopt a felony animal-cruelty law.

It is now a federal crime to attend or bring a child to a dogfight or cockfight.

The truly idiotic and evil “King Amendment” was tossed out of the Farm Bill.

A federal appellate court rightfully overturned a horrible ruling from a lower that might have tossed out the animal crush video law. If I recall, the lower court tried to claim that torturing and brutally killing animals was protected free speech. That’s one for the Moronic Court Ruling Hall of Fame.

So arguably the current leader for the Moronic Court Ruling Hall of Fame is Citizens United.

A number of countries have agreed to end the use of gestation crates for pigs.

Three horse-slaughter plants were blocked from opening this year.

A new U.S. Department of Agriculture rule blocks the importation of puppies for sale. This means at least foreign puppy mills can’t sell here.

Internet sellers of puppy now have to follow USDA guidelines. The HSUS helped to block a legal challenge to this ruling.

Better protections are in place for animals suffering through experiments in labs.

The World Trade Organization is thankfully supporting European Union’s ban on products resulting from the horrific Canadian seal hunts.

The wolf hunts were stopped in Michigan.

New York and New Jersey became the first states to banned the sale of Ivory. This one should become a federal ban.

And Pacelle states the “… International Court of Justice ruled that Japan’s Southern Ocean whaling program violates the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling’s ban on commercial hunting.”

Back to blogging this week, as things have been really hectic at my house, with a sick dog and lots of writing deadlines. Carl the rescued greyhound is much better now – thankfully.

So I’m playing some catch-up with stories from April that I had filed away for comment.

First up is an unbelievable statement from a US Senate candidate in Kentucky. Matt Bevin reportedly spoke at some point at a pro-cockfighting rally and now says any legislation in this area should be left up to the states.

So it’s not a stretch in reading about Bevin’s thoughts to see that he would be okay with some states making cockfighting legal. In 2014, this is a horrendous position to take.

Anyone who understands the horrors of dog fighting or cockfighting would never suggest that it’s okay for some states to allow these industries to exist.

The Iowa State House could hopefully vote soon on a bill to decouple dog racing from the two casinos in the state and in Florida, a bill could help reduce the number of races there. And thankfully, we’re seeing injury reports in Florida that should shine more light on the horrors taking place.

The West Virginia legislation will cut “infrastructure, thoroughbred development, greyhound racing and the racetrack modernization fund” by 10 percent, according to SFGate.com. Thankfully, the bill passed in a big way.

It’s a small step in the right direction But we need to see a complete ban. This most-recent move was prompted by budget concerns. The state could move closer to a balanced budget and end the suffering for the dogs by completely banning dog racing.

In Virginia, at last report, Baily’s Law is only waiting for Governor McAuliffe’s signature. The bill would require pet dealers to reimburse particular veterinary fees within 14 days, for pets they have sold who later require care. And pet stores will be required to reveal the identity of the breeders they use.

Another good step to cut down on puppy mill breeding, but why not ban the sale of pets in stores and why not require breeders across the board to cover veterinary care in cases where a puppy or kitten is found to have genetic problems or health problems that are a result of breeding practices?

This is BIG news. The horrible King Amendment has been removed from the Farm Bill. The amendment is named for the single biggest supporter of animal cruelty in the US government – Rep. Steve King.

The mission for King and his amendment, was to gut animal cruelty laws across the nation and to prevent states from passing legislation to protect animals from abuse. But the Farm Bill Conference Committee has agreed to drop the seriously-flawed idea.

On its website, the World Society for Protection of Animals posted a statement by Anne Lieberman –
Executive Director, WSPA USA.

If included, the King Amendment would have lowered standards for agriculture production and weakened current state-based laws (like in California, whose laws allow certain animals to move freely and extend their limbs while confined). This would have had serious negative consequences for the welfare of millions of farm animals and for consumers.

The compromise bill includes a provision making it a federal crime to attend or bring a child under the age of 16 to an animal fighting event, based on the Animal Fighting Spectator Prohibition Act, which will fortify the federal law against organized and barbaric dogfighting and cockfighting rings.

So good news here. This is another huge setback for Steve King, who has expressed opposition to prohibiting kids from attending animal fighting events. Yes, I know; it’s unbelievable. How could anyone think it’s okay to bring kids to a dog or cock fight. The man serious needs a visit from Dickens’ Three Ghost.

I have been stunned more times than I can count over many years of researching animal-welfare information. But what I read today on the NBC News website ranks as one of the most disgusting things I’ve ever read, in terms of an article from a news outlet, presented as a promotion of animal cruelty – in this case cockfighting in the Philippines.

The article is posted in the Travel section, as if people should use it as an option for something to do on a vacation trip. The writer is shamelessly promoting cockfighting. What’s next from NBC News – an interactive map of underground dog-fighting rings, as a great family outing?

And I’m assuming an NBC News editor looked over the text before approving the article for publication. It is not only an extremely poor example of journalism, it also shows a complete lack of education on the part of everyone involved.

I know NBC News would try to defend the piece by suggesting it was written from the perspective of culture where the daily horrors take place. But where is there even a note of how inhumane cockfighting is?

No legitimate news outlet should ever consider publishing a story promoting visits to child porn websites or how people can save money on vacation travel by tripping-out on crack. Sure, some people think both activities are fine. But isn’t there some moral and professional line that should not be crossed by journalists or columnists?

I could understand an article with the cockfighter’s semi-defense of his immoral acts, along with the viewpoint of intelligent people who despise animal cruelty. But what NBC News published today is both unprofessional and disgusting.

I’m calling for NBC News to pull this drivel from its website and issue an apology for ever allowing it to appear for a second.

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A number of areas in the country are debating new animal-welfare regulations. I hope this is a good sign.

Nevada: The state’s lawmakers are considering two bills – in regard to reporting animal cruelty data and to toughen anti-cockfighting rules.

Ohio: The State House is looking to increase the penalties for the mistreatment of kennel animals. For current law, it is a misdemeanor. One representative can’t understand how Nitro’s Law has passed twice before in the House, but failed in the Senate.